System for using an existing cellular network to detect incidents of GPS jaming

Abstract

A system for detecting incidents of GPS signal jamming utilizes one or more cellular telecommunications networks where GPS signals are received at various geographically dispersed base stations for timing or synchronization purposes—e.g., certain CDMA-based mobile phone networks. Each base station is outfitted with a data routing subsystem that routes data relating to interruptions in the received GPS signal, as detected by the base station, to a real time national database. The database stores and processes the received data, and is configured to be accessed by government or other officials for assessing GPS interference across the geographic area covered by the cellular network(s). The GPS interruption/interference data may be graphically displayed, and it may be correlated with other relevant data.

1 . A system for detecting global positioning system (GPS) signal interference at a cellular network base station, said system comprising: 
 a data router configured to cause interference data to be routed to a database if the base station issues a GPS alert, wherein the interference data relates to GPS signal interference detected at the base station.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the interference data comprises a copy of the GPS alert issued by the base station.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the data router is further configured to generate augmentation data as part of the interference data, said augmentation data comprising information in addition to the information included in the GPS alert.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the interference data comprises a modified version of the GPS alert issued by the base station.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data router is configured to generate the interference data.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data router is configured to route to at least one of the database and a control center of the global positioning system at least a sampling of the GPS signals received by the base station.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the database is in communication with the cellular network for receiving interference data from all of a plurality of base stations of the cellular network.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data router is configured for interfacing with the base station.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8  wherein the data router comprises a computer program configured to run on a base station controller portion of the base station.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data router is configured to cause the interference data to be converted into IP packets according to a protocol, said IP packets including an address for transmitting the IP packets to the database.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the data router is configured to cause interference data to be routed to the database when one or more of a plurality of cellular network base stations issues a GPS alert, wherein the interference data relates to GPS signal interference respectively detected at said one or more base stations.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the interference data comprises copies of the GPS alerts issued by the one or more base stations.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the data router is configured to generate the interference data, said interference data being at least partly different from GPS alerts issued by the one or more base stations.  
     
     
         14 . A database system for use in detecting global positioning system (GPS) signal interference at a plurality of cellular network base stations, said database system comprising: 
 a data processing module configured to process received interference data, said interference data relating to GPS signal interference detected at the plurality of base stations; and    a user interface configured for facilitating access to the database system, for assessing the GPS signal interference across a geographic area covered by the cellular network.    
     
     
         15 . The database system of  claim 14  wherein the user interface is further configured to display a graphical rendition of the geographic area covered by the cellular network, to display on the graphical rendition the locations of the plurality of base stations, and to display at the location of each respective base station a status of the received GPS signals at the respective base station.  
     
     
         16 . The database system of  claim 15  wherein the user interface is further configured to display correlation data on the graphical rendition.  
     
     
         17 . The database system of  claim 14  wherein the data processing module is further configured to determine a time pattern of the interference data, for assessing patterns of GPS signal interference over time.  
     
     
         18 . The database system of  claim 14  wherein the user interface is further configured to generate an Internet website for remote access to the processed interference data over the Internet.  
     
     
         19 . The database system of  claim 14  further comprising a network interface for connecting the database to receive the interference data from said at least one cellular network across the Internet.  
     
     
         20 . A system for detecting global positioning system (GPS) signal interference at a cellular network base station, said system comprising: 
 a database; and    data routing means for causing interference data to be routed to the database if the base station issues a GPS alert, wherein the interference data relates to GPS signal interference detected at the base station.